My reloading bench is in the garage where it is going to be very hot this summer...I plan to bring my powder in the house. My questions are, would a fireproof safe be an okay storage place in the hot garage? Also, if you reload in the heat, what do you do with your powder?
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

AGunguy
*TFF Staff*
Posts: 1515
(3/12/02 5:10:03 pm)
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All of the reloading manuals I've seen usually recommend storing in a cool dry place away from heat. Heat will change the powder to where it will not be reliable.

For safety sake, store in a wooden box with a lid that locks, and will release its sides if an ignition takes place. Stored in a steel container will be like building a bomb casing.

I use an old GI wooden ammo box with locked lid, it holds about 10 cans of powder. I've told the family that in case of fire throw it out the window...or make the fire dept. aware of its whereabouts and what its stored in a clearly marked box.

Gunguy

Donny Henry
Member
Posts: 13
(3/12/02 8:44:03 pm)
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Thanks for your reply...I wasn't overly cautious about the possible hazard of the powder exploding in the fire proof safe due to the fact that todays powders would need contact with the flame to ignite, being more of a propellient than an explosive. Although I have yet to purchase the safe, I wondered if it would keep the powder cool enough, fresh, and mostly (as you state) reliable.

Thanks again
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

AGunguy
*TFF Staff*
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(3/12/02 9:56:57 pm)
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Have you asked the safe people what the ambient temperature is inside the fireproof safe? I own only a cheap thin metal gauge safe and its not fireproof.

I might add that storing in room temperature of 60 to 70 degrees has been no problem with my powder stored in its wooden box. Some of the powders are 15 years or older and still good.

I'll check into the ambient inside temp as you suggested, also the safe (or safes) I am considering will be fire proof without question, and they are upwards of 1200 dollars.

Thanks
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

Smoky14
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(3/13/02 9:11:08 am)
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Donny. I got an old wooden kitchen wall cabinet and mounted it on a wall next to the house. I insulated it on the areas exposed to the garage but left the back uninsulated, to get heating and cooling from the house. The temp in the cabinet never exceeded 80 in the summer or 60 in the winter. That was in AZ where the garage would get to 110 and as low as freezing.
Hope that helps

Donny Henry
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(3/13/02 9:57:02 pm)
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Good idea, and a feasible option, but I wanted to get the views of some "old timers"....I'm quickly learning that with this hobby there are some wide, and some very slim margins in different areas...That said, I'd by far prefer the opinion of a 10 year veteran handloader over a receptionist.

*Edit* That sounded smart aleck...I dont mean to be, just to the point sometimes, I tend to get on these boards, and speak like I've known people all my life forgetting how easy it is to missinturpet feelings.

Thanks,

Donny
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

Edited by: Donny Henry at: 3/13/02 10:04:15 pm

jeeper1
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(3/13/02 10:12:30 pm)
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I have been loading since the late 60's and I have always just kept the powder on the lowest shelf in a book case in my bedroom. that is to say about 5 inches off the floor where it is coolest. Some are approaching 20 years old and are still in good condition. Infact nothing I have is less than 8 years old, You can (used to any how) when you buy in bulk, four 8lb cans at a time.
The Curio and Relic Firearms Forum
To err is human. But to really screw things up you just about have to have a computer.

Garage exceeds 90F in the summer, but the concrete pad and cans stay slightly cool to the touch.

Then again, I've never bought powder in quantities that take years (or decades!) to consume.

What about cold storage? - I have a fridge in the garage, anyone have info / experience on cold storage affecting powder quality?

jeeper1
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(3/22/02 1:16:13 am)
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What risk?
Smokeless powder burns it doesn't explode.
Black powder is something else though. Primers are no problem either, I just keep them in the packages they came in and that includes the cases too, so they are inside the 100 piece boxes which are inside the 1000 piece cartons which are inside the 5000 piece case.And they are across the room from the powder.
The Curio and Relic Firearms Forum
To err is human. But to really screw things up you just about have to have a computer.

I've found something at the junk dealer across town, that may work perfectly...It's some fool's (must be kin to me) homemade fridge...It's a little wooden box, with a locking latch on the side once opened it reveals a stainless refregerator box, screwed on top of the wooden box is an old compresser type thing that ran it...I think I'll buy it, take the little motor off, and use it for storage. Probabally be great....Opinions?

Guess I'll venture off to work in this freezing cold wind, man, I ought to go back to bed....
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

Zigzag2
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 2688
(3/22/02 7:58:33 am)
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Donny, have you considered sealing your garage?
Why I ask, I sealed mine a year ago, added heat and a window air conditioner. It takes less (than I expected) to cool it and to warm it this winter.
Now having your safe in the garage raises questions...
obviously the security factor and another concern is the conditions that we are talking about.
It all boils down to "conditions", the more we have control over them, the better

Donny Henry
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(3/22/02 10:14:09 pm)
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Thinking about it more and more...Now that I've sold the car, and the trucks are to large to park in the garage, so I've given alot of thought to selling my garage door and door opener, then framing the garage in, and running a couple of a/c ducts...Then slowly turning it into my game room/ hideout...But all this is going to take time as work is picking up, and I just stay dog tired in the summer.
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

jeeper1
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(3/23/02 2:54:06 am)
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Bad idea getting rid of the garage door. A nieghbor of mine left the door in place and working so the tax accessor would thing it was still a garage. He put in a wall and finished off the rest of the garage as a bedroom. He still uses the front of the garage as a place to store yard tools.
He also did it without a permit.
The Curio and Relic Firearms Forum
To err is human. But to really screw things up you just about have to have a computer.

Donny Henry
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(3/23/02 4:51:57 pm)
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Sweet idea Jeeper, and I could sure use the extra storage space...I'll give that some careful consideration...The only thing is, you'd have to frame "around" the garage door hardwear creating an awful low ceiling, which would of course help on the energy bills.

As far as the powder goes, I bought that "fridge in a box"...I'm hoping it will work real well, it is a double insulated, old, stainless fridge, with a weird looking little latch...(Looks like a minature walk in freezer latch), inside a double plyboard box, with the compressor removed it is still very heavy.
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~

jeeper1
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(3/23/02 10:55:32 pm)
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You might want to remove the automatic door opener. I have a wooden door on my garage and when it is open it extends only 5 feet into the garage whereas if I had an automatic door opener it would extend at least 8 feet into the garage.
A garage door with the proper springs is easy to open with one hand.
The Curio and Relic Firearms Forum
To err is human. But to really screw things up you just about have to have a computer.

Donny Henry
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(3/25/02 12:17:04 pm)
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A few measurements revealed that even with the opener removed my sheet metal door would extend 8 1/2 feet into the garage...I'm wondering how much the taxes would go up if the room was framed in?

Heck, we have a guest room that is never used, I dont know why my wife insists on keeping it all pretty for that occasional once a year guest, when the couch is a hide a bed anyway...Oh well, give and take I suppose.
~-~Courage is not the lack of fear...
but the presence of faith.~-~